Palin Opposed Divestment to Protest Darfur

Return with us now to the thrilling Vice Presidential Debate of October 2, 2008, when Republican Governor Sarah Palin spoke of Darfur:

America is in a position to help. What I’ve done in my position to help, as the governor of a state that’s pretty rich in natural resources, we have a $40 billion investment fund, a savings fund called the Alaska Permanent Fund.

When I and others in the legislature found out we had some millions of dollars in Sudan, we called for divestment through legislation of those dollars to make sure we weren’t doing anything that would be seen as condoning the activities there in Darfur. That legislation hasn’t passed yet but it needs to because all of us, as individuals, and as humanitarians and as elected officials should do all we can to end those atrocities in that region of the world.

Very inspiring.

Just one thing: Governor Palin’s administration opposed legislation mandating divestment of Sudan-related stocks in the Alaska Permanent Fund last year, and only reversed this position sometime in March or April, too late in the session for the bill to pass.

The Governor does mention that the bill wasn’t passed; she neglects to mention that her administration’s initial opposition and late-breaking reversal put the divestment bill on a Bridge to Nowhere. 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.